


He Talks to Angels

by DoctorProfessorSong



Series: The Other Baby [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angels, Castiel is Loved (Supernatural), Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:14:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29759460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctorProfessorSong/pseuds/DoctorProfessorSong
Summary: Cas is shocked and happy to discover that his siblings want to be involved in his son's life. But having angels in the family doesn't come without a few drawbacks and some inherent weirdness. Especially when your kid shares some of their powers.This chapter has lots of awkward angel interaction including a disastrous trip to the zoo and Jack's discovery of Angel Radio. It's fun and absurd.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester
Series: The Other Baby [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170503
Comments: 17
Kudos: 78





	He Talks to Angels

**Author's Note:**

  * For [frumious_bandersnatch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frumious_bandersnatch/gifts).



> CW: alcohol, family drama
> 
> When I said I was going to pick and choose canon, this one really embodies that. Several of the angels here died in the show. Just assume that some sort of reset occurred that resulted in baby Jack and a bunch of angels getting clawed back into Heaven.
> 
> I have also made Cas human in this one and I mention Mary, so she is back with a handwave. 

Cas read every parenting book he could get his hands on when preparing for Jack's birth. But he thinks nothing can truly prepare you for a kid. 

There are some things that are exactly like he envisioned. Quiet nights singing and rocking Jack back to sleep. Chaotic mornings chasing a naked toddler around the bunker after Jack figures out how to remove his diaper. Cutting up fruit and cutting the crusts off of sandwiches. 100 little moments that are somehow predictable yet special when he thinks about them.

There are some things he couldn’t have prepared for. The bone tired feeling of being up all night. The feeling of helplessness when Jack gets his first ear infection (who knew nephilim could even get ear infections?). Every so often, that feeling that you are holding something precious and fragile in your hands and the world is so big and dangerous and dark and you worry you can't protect him.

Cas can't imagine doing it alone. He is grateful that there are four of them feeling their way through the darkness. Maybe it would be easier if any one of them had grown up with any semblance of a loving and involved parent. Maybe not. It doesn't really do to dwell on that anyway. 

The point is that Cas will take help where he can get it, and it comes from the people that he would have predicted would be there before Jack's birth. Mary, Bobby, Jody, Donna, Charlie, Garth. Sometimes even Rowena. Their extended network. Their family. 

But he has been shocked to discover that sometimes it comes from his own siblings. He never expected any of the angels to be interested in spending time with Jack. The very concept of a nephilim was abhorrent. And this one is Lucifer's kid. While Lucifer may have been their brother at one time, may have been one of the best of them, that was a long time ago. There aren't many beings more despised, more reviled by the angels, than Lucifer. The point is, Cas didn't exactly expect his siblings to be involved in Jack's life when he was born. And that was fine with Cas. Really. Ever since he became human, he has had even less in common with them than he did before. He has his life. He has a family. He is good. But things change and life has a way of surprising you. 

***********

The first to show up is Michael, but he barely counts. He and Adam have a special bond. Something rare. They continue to share Adam's body. Cas just assumes the visit is Michael's way of indulging Adam. 

Adam is gentle with Jack, who is only a few months old. He holds him like he is afraid Jack will just fall apart in his hands. 

Michael is more confident. But then, isn't he always? Confidence had never been in short supply for Michael.

"I still can't believe you got married and had a kid, Castiel." He smirks at Cas. "It's so domestic. I mean it's about time for the two of you." He says angling his head at Dean. "The inside of his head . . . well, I thought you would get there sooner."

Cas laughs. "Well, we got there eventually." He sobers. "You two ever think about it?"

Michael gives him a skeptical look. "I would never lower myself. Become human. Reduce myself to such a small life." 

Cas feels a twinge of pain. It shouldn't hurt. He and Michael don't see the world the same way. Still, he wishes his brother would be a little more supportive.

Michael's features soften, signaling that Adam has taken over. "Don't listen to him." Adam says, cradling a sleeping Jack softly. "He's lying. He wouldn't do this because he doesn't want to be separated from me."

"Oh." Cas says, feeling a surprising rush of tenderness. "That's . . . ." He isn't sure what to say. He knew they were close. Bonded. But that level of affection-of love-is not something he would have expected from Michael.

"There's just something about the Winchesters." Dean teases next to him. "You angels have a type." He grins at Cas, clearly watching to see if he has riled him up. Cas keeps his expression neutral just to keep Dean guessing but something must give him away because Dean's grin broadens slightly. 

Michael's face hardens again. He glares at Dean but doesn't dispute it. 

In Michael's arms, Jack stirs and Michael actually smiles at him.  _ Smiles.  _ "He is well-made." Michael says affectionately. "I do look forward to visiting him." Michael whispers something faintly in Enochian. It is too quiet for Cas to make out with his human ears.

_ Oh.  _ Just like that Cas realizes that the visit may not have just been for Adam's benefit and he can't help but feel a little rush of happiness. Jack will have at least one angel uncle. Jack is surrounded by humans. Even Cas. He should have someone to teach him about his angel side. Cas is shocked to find himself grateful that Michael is around.

*********

The second one to show up is Balthazar. On one hand, that isn’t really a surprise. After all, Balthazar rebelled. Left Heaven, stopped playing the obedient little soldier and carved his own path before Cas even admitted to himself it was possible. He doesn't care what the other angels think. Why would he? And despite his typical disdain for humans, he and Cas have always been close. Of course he would want to meet Cas's son.

On the other hand, it serves as a massive surprise given that Cas killed him. Normally, the brother whom you literally stabbed in the back doesn’t just appear in your kitchen with a bottle of Bourbon in one hand and a baby present in the other. But then, normal isn't really how they do things around here anyway. 

As it happens, they are all in the kitchen when Balthazar makes his dramatic appearance. Eileen is feeding 7 month old Jack some squash puree. Sam makes all of Jack's baby food from fruit and vegetables grown in Cas's garden. So far, the kid likes everything, but squash is his favorite and he is wiggling around with each bite and signing "more" at Eileen.

Sam is spread out on the other side of the table doing homework. He is trying to finish his degree. He could easily use a quieter room like the library, but he insists that the noise helps him focus. Cas has seen the way he keeps eyeing Eileen and suspects the kitchen offers more distraction than he admits, but who is he to judge? After all, he is hovering, leaned against the counter, doing absolutely nothing productive at all so he can watch Dean cook them breakfast for dinner. Watching those strong, calloused hands grip a spatula to flip pancakes and a knife to slice fruit . . . Well, let's just say Sam isn't the only one distracted by his partner. 

Jack giggles and begins babbling when Balthazar appears. Cas looks up to see what Jack is laughing at and instead locks eyes with his very alive brother. 

"Balthazar." Cas says. Beside him, Dean jumps, holding the knife in front of him as if that would do anything against an angel.

Balthazar just smiles lazily. "Castiel, you are looking well. Finally got that stick removed from your ass?"

Castiel is torn between the urge to roll his eyes and the urge to lunge for the angel blade they keep in the kitchen for emergencies. Something must play across his face because Balthazar holds up his hands in surrender. 

"Woah, hey, I come in peace. I even brought peace offerings." He holds up the bottle of Bourbon, which has a pair of wings etched on the back. "Angel's Envy. The good stuff."

"You're dead. I killed you." A deep pang of regret and grief tear through Cas’s chest. 

"And I betrayed you." Balthazar shrugs. "Look, it didn't stick. I had contingency plans. For a while, I was angry. But, I probably should have seen it coming. Hiding something from a master strategist like you? Really, I just didn't expect you to behave so . . . human."

Cas tilts his head. "What do you mean?"

Balthazar looks around as if the words may be floating in the air around him. "Impulsive? Angry? I don't really know. You took me by surprise. I guess you were already changing."

Cas looks down. "That's not a bad thing, Castiel." Balthazar says gently. Cas meets his eyes. "I mean, I told you to do just that, didn't I? Didn't expect you to settle down with all that free will, but it suits you. Not my thing, but you look good. Happy."

Cas grins and before he even registers the thought, he feels himself moving towards his brother. Pulling him into a hug. The bottle is hard against his back and the hug is slightly awkward, but it's nice. The world stops for a moment, Cas feeling joy at being reunited with his brother and relief as he releases the guilt he has carried for years.

Behind him, he hears Dean say, "shit, the pancakes." And the spell is broken. He takes the gift and the Bourbon and places them on the counter. 

"You know my husband Dean and his brother Sam." Cas says, probably more formally than he should, but something about having his brother around brings back old habits. "This is Eileen, Sam's wife. And this little guy is Jack." 

Balthazar gives Eileen a lazy, flirtatious smile. She meets his eyes with a challenge. "Oh, Sam, I like this one. If you ever need a plus one in the bedroom, you know how to find me."

Sam snorts.

Then he turns his attention to Jack and his entire demeanor changes. He crouches down in front of the boy and makes an absolutely ridiculous face. Castiel feels a laugh bubble up. Balthazar, former soldier of Heaven, whose sword never wavered, who laid waste to angels and humans and demons, sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes. 

For his part, Jack thinks the face is absolutely delightful. He giggles and reaches for Balthazar with squash-covered fingers. 

"Hello, dear boy." Balthazar says, patting him on a clean patch of his head, "I am your Uncle Balthazar." 

Jack babbles happily for a moment and Balthazar grins. Suddenly Jack's face squishes into a grimace and he starts screaming in protest. 

Balthazar looks around worriedly. "What did I do?"

"You interrupted his meal." Cas offers. 

Balthazar looks around and sees the squash and the spoon. "May I?" He asks Eileen, but Eileen doesn't see it. 

"She's Deaf." Sam says. "You have to make sure she is looking at you."

Balthazar nods and signs, "my apologies, dear lady. May I?" He gestures towards the squash. 

Eileen nods and hands over the bowl. Balthazar begins spooning squash into Jack's mouth. 

"You staying for dinner?" Dean asks. "We are doing breakfast for dinner."

Balthazar grins. "How rebellious." He teases.

And, with that, another piece of Cas's heart heals.

Later, they drink Bourbon. It is the good stuff. 

"You know," Dean says to Balthazar as he takes a sip, "I may have misjudged you, Uncle Balthazar. You can drop in anytime if you bring this Bourbon."

"I am so pleased you approve. Gotta keep the hairless ape my brother married happy." He says, but his tone is light. Teasing. "You going to open the other gift?" He asks Cas. 

Cas grabs the bag and removes the tissue paper. He extracts a onesie. On the front, in script, it reads  _ Daddy's little angel. _ The back has wings printed on it. 

Cas grins. "I love it. Thanks, Balthazar."

Jack goes still in Balthazar's arms. He grunts. Balthazar's face twists in horror. "Is he . . .?"

Sam smirks. "Don't tell me a big, bad angel is scared of a dirty diaper." But he scoops Jack up and heads toward the nursery to change him. "Rain check on that threesome? I gotta put this one to bed." He calls over his shoulder jokingly. 

Balthazar grins and leans back in his chair. "Ready when you are." He yells after Sam who stumbles slightly.

********

Anna is next and, again, that probably shouldn't be a huge surprise. Like Balthazar and Cas, Anna has rebelled in the past. She has also lived among the humans. She, unlike Balthazar, is polite enough to call first. 

Jack is in his jumper, bouncing up and down and waving his hands. The bouncer plays cloying music. Cas is sure, in millions of years, he has heard a more annoying sound but he is unable to recall one at the moment. He longs to turn it off, but Jack loves it and bursts into tears if the jumper doesn’t play it. So Cas endures. 

He doesn't recognize the number when his phone rings, but he knows the voice immediately. "Anna." He says.

"Hello, Castiel."

"How are you?" He asks.

"Good. Been busy rebuilding Heaven. I thought maybe we could get together. I could meet Jack?" She asks uncertainly.

Cas doesn't think he has ever heard her sound so nervous. They make plans for dinner the next week. 

Behind Cas, the music fades as Jack stops jumping and begins to wail. Cas turns to see that Jack is done with his jumper. 

As a result, Cas barely hears when Anna says: "I will see you Thursday. Do you mind if I bring some of the others?"

"Mmm-hmm." Cas agrees, not really registering the question.

"Great! See you Thursday, Castiel."

She hangs up. That's when it registers.  _ The others? What others? _

Dean makes chili "since we don't know how many people are coming." 

Cas rolls his eyes. He has tried to call Anna all week, but her phone just goes to her voicemail, which isn't set-up. She is probably in Heaven. There aren't exactly phone towers there. 

He feels nervous. He tries to tell himself it's no big deal. It's just Anna.  _ And the others.  _

He feels a hand on his shoulder. He turns to see Dean, his eyes full of concern. "Hey. You okay?" he says.

"Fine." Cas lies. Dean gives him a skeptical look. "Nervous." He concedes.

Dean pulls him close, kissing him on the temple. "Whoever walks through that door, you have me. Us. It's gonna be fine."

Cas nods into Dean's neck. A knock on the bunker door interrupts them. Cas pulls away and heads to the door, his stomach roiling. 

On the other side of the door stands Anna, smiling broadly and holding a gift. Next to her is Gabriel, smirking. Behind them is Hannah, looking slightly awkward.

"Castiel, I know I am sexy, but are you gonna stare at us all night or are you gonna let us in?" Gabriel asks. Cas steps aside awkwardly. 

Gabriel leads the way. "Dean-o" he says, pointing finger guns at Dean. 

"Gabe, it's been awhile. Not long enough, but what can you do?" He replies, a glint in his eyes. 

Anna stops uncertainly. "You said I could bring . . ." 

Cas places a hand on her shoulder. "He's teasing, Anna. It's fine." He feels her relax and realizes that she is just as nervous as he is. Somehow that is what makes his chest unclench. They are trying here. All of them. 

They end up in the playroom they have set up for Jack. He is pulling up on the table, occasionally taking uncertain steps. At 8 months, he's an early walker and he is excited to show off his new skill for all the people who have come to meet him. 

The angels are entranced. Hannah even gets down on the floor so Jack can crawl into his lap. "Hello, little one." He says. "You are as cute as Balthazar reported."

"Balthazar told you about his visit?" Sam asks. 

"He broadcast a report on Angel Radio." Anna says. 

"Sam, I have to say, I was a little hurt." Gabriel says. "I thought we had something special. If you are going to have a threesome with anyone, I thought it would be me." He winks at Sam who makes a face in annoyance. 

"He . . . We are NOT having a threesome. Any of us." He looks at Eileen for support, but she is laughing behind her hand. 

Anna elbows Gabriel. "Gabriel, there is a CHILD here. Behave yourself."

Jack is sitting in Hannah's lap, grasping his fingers with his chubby hands. "The angels were divided. Many of them felt we should send a representative to meet the child. But others insisted he was an abomination." Next to Cas, Dean sucks in a breath, but he doesn't say anything. 

" _ Hannah. _ " Anna hisses at him. 

Hannah looks at her confused. He doesn't understand the impact of his words. "We have determined he is not." Hannah replies.

"Nice of you you decide my son is acceptable in the eyes of Heaven." Cas says tightly. He fights the urge to scoop up Jack and send his siblings packing. He isn't interested in hearing how the angels decided to treat his son with a modicum of decency. 

Cas feels Dean's arm, already around his shoulder, squeeze him tightly. He takes a breath to calm himself.

"What he means to say," Anna offers in a conciliatory tone, "is that any concerns raised by a minority of our siblings were calmed by our brother, Michael, who pointed out that Jack is but a child. He has not borne the Mark, he has never met his fath . . . Lucifer. He is one of us. Part of our family."

Cas's breath catches.  _ Michael said that?  _

"We have brought you a present." Anna says smiling. She hands over the gift. 

Cas opens it. Inside is a silver disk with Enochian carved into it. He stares at it, emotion making his chest tight and his eyes burn with unshed tears.

"What is it?" Dean asks quietly.

"When an angel is created, Heaven also creates one of these. There is no English word equivalent. It's . . . a bit like an angel's birth certificate. It provides basic information. Name, class of angel, date of creation. This one says Jack Kline, Nephilim, and his birthday. It means he has been accepted as legitimate by Heaven." 

Anna is beaming. 

Hannah looks back down to Jack. "It was a great honor to be chosen to come on behalf of the angels. To meet him. The other angels can only listen in."

"Wait, you are broadcasting all of this on Angel Radio?" Sam asks.

"Of course." Hannah says.

Sam frowns. "Even the threesome stuff?"

Gabriel snorts in amusement. "That's right, Sammy."

Sam sighs, making another face.

**************

"No way." Dean says firmly. "Absolutely not. If Gabe and Balthazar wanna see Jack, they can bring their feathery asses to the bunker and play with him here."

Cas rolls his eyes. "Dean. Be reasonable."

"Oh, I am being reasonable. I have been reasonable. Do I complain about the revolving door of angels coming to the bunker in the last few months?"

"Yes." Cas says, voice full of irritation.

Dean sighs. "Fine. I did complain but now that they know they have to call first and that they can't just appear in the middle of the night, we are good. It's good the way it is."

Cas suppresses a glare. He knows letting some of the angels take Jack out for the day is a big deal, but Dean wouldn't make this big of a deal if it was a non-angel asking to take him out. "Dean, they just want to spend time with their nephew." 

Dean looks at Sam. "Sammy, back me up here." Cas gives him a pleading look. 

Sam shrugs. "Dean, they are his family. Even if we don't like them. What if Dad suddenly showed up? Would you let Cas tell you Jack wasn't allowed to go out with him for ice cream?"

Cas has some very particular ideas about what he would like to do if John Winchester were to show up, but they are unlikely to be helpful, so he keeps them to himself. 

Dean throws up his hands in irritation, but Cas can see that he is giving in. "Would they at least let you come? To keep them out of trouble?"

Cas grins. 

*********

It's a beautiful day for the zoo. Sunny and clear but not too hot.

Jack is safely ensconced in his stroller. The toddler keeps giggling and pointing at his uncles. In addition to Gabriel and Balthazar, Hannah has decided to join them as Heaven's official delegate. Cas expected Dean to be upset about the change, but he seemed to be relieved. "Balthazar and Gabriel can get a little . . ." He had searched for the word, "mischievous. Hannah is a by the book kinda guy."

_ This is going to be fine. It's going to go smoothly and Dean will see that my siblings can be trusted with Jack.  _ Cas thinks optimistically. As it happens, too optimistically.

The first thing that goes wrong is Hannah's fault. Cas has to laugh at that given Dean's misplaced trust. 

Jack is enamored with the elephants. "PUPPAH! BIG PUPPAH!" The toddler yells waving at them. 

"Those are actually elephants." Hannah offers. "Did you know some people ride them? I used to ride elephants centuries ago." He says wistfully.

Cas reaches into the stroller to get his phone so he can take a picture, but when he looks up, Hannah and Jack are gone. 

"Shit." says Gabriel. 

Cas's heart drops to his stomach. He looks up and sees Hannah and Jack on the back of one of the elephants.

_ Dean is going to kill me. _

"I got the crowd." Gabriel assures Cas. He waves his hand and everyone just walks away.

"What did you do?" Castiel asks.

"They all just forgot they ever saw anything and decided they had pressing business elsewhere." Gabriel says, smiling smugly.

_ Dear Hannah,  _ Cas prays,  _ please come back to the elephant pavilion with my son. You cannot ride the elephants. _

"Why not?" He asks behind Cas. Jack is in his arms clapping. 

"You are not allowed to interact with the animals. That's not how zoos work." Cas explains.

Hannah frowns. "Maybe they should put up a sign."

Cas sighs and makes the mistake of looking at Balthazar. He is laughing. Cas gives him a scowl but he just laughs harder. 

"Come on, let's keep moving." Cas says with resignation in his voice. 

The next exhibit is a little more graphic than Cas would have hoped. Two of the bears are engaged with each other in an impressive and slightly disturbing display of carnal activity. 

"Baba, no hit!" Jack exclaims. 

Cas realizes he thinks they are fighting. "You are right, Jack. They shouldn't fight." He says quickly, trying to hurry them along to the next exhibit. 

He looks over at his siblings. Hannah is staring wide eyed, but Gabriel and Balthazar are snickering. Cas narrows his eyes. "If I find out that was you two," he hisses, "you are going to regret it.

Jack loves the tiger "nyow nyow" he exclaims trying to make a cat noise. He giggles at the monkeys swinging through their enclosures and roars at the lions. After a rocky start, Cas starts to think it's all going to be okay.

Then they get to the giraffes. Jack loves the giraffes. "BABA! What's dat? BABA!" He yells when they round the corner, kicking his legs in the stroller. He squeals and screams and waves at them.

When Cas tries to move on to the next animal, Jack's face scrunches up and he screams. Cas pulls him out of the stroller and tries to calm him down. He stops crying, sucking in deep shaky breaths, but he starts back up again when Cas tries to leave.

Cas resigns himself to sitting on a bench and watching the giraffes, but Jack squirms out of his arms so he can get closer, waddling over to the fence.

"Baba! Soft!" He screams.

Cas translates for his siblings. "He wants to pet them. That's what we say when he pets Miracle, so he interpreted it as the word for pet."

Balthazar opens his mouth, no doubt to make a raunchy joke, but the words die on his lips. 

Cas follows his gaze. A collective gasp goes up among the zoo patrons as a giraffe floats in the air above them. The poor animal is panicking, it's legs flailing. 

"Jack, no." Cas whispers. "Put him down." 

"Soft!" Jack says. 

"Put him down now." Cas hisses. 

Jack wails. 

"I got him." Balthazar says. He disappears and reappears on the giraffe's back. Then they both disappear, presumably reappearing somewhere in the enclosure on solid ground. 

"I got the crowd." Gabriel says, using his powers to make the crowd forget again.

Hannah sulks. "Why does Balthazar get to ride the animals?"

Cas sighs. "Hannah, can you fly us to the picnic area?" Hannah nods and flies them over. 

Gabriel and Balthazar show up shortly thereafter. Jack has calmed down and is running around the empty field. Cas has his head in his hands as he anticipates the lecture Dean is going to give him. 

"Dean is going to kill me." Cas says 

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Castiel." Gabriel assures him. "At least now you have an argument that Dean should have let us go tour the stars instead."

Cas sighs and watches as Balthazar chases Jack around the field, tickling him when he catches up with the kid. 

"Look, the kid is fine. Everything worked out. It's fine."

Cas nods slowly. It's true. Jack has had a great time and nobody got hurt. Really, it could be worse.

By the time they get home, he has almost convinced himself that it was a successful day.

Sam is waiting for them in the map room.

"So, how was the zoo?" He asks. 

"Great." Cas lies.

Sam smirks. "Yeah? Because there have been some weird rumors online. Someone has a video of a floating giraffe. There was a report of people riding on elephants. And apparently they found an extra monkey in one of the enclosures." 

Cas sighs. "I didn't know about the monkey."

"You gonna tell Dean?" Sam asks.

Before Cas can answer, Dean walks in and scoops Jack up. "Hey, kiddo. How was the zoo?"

Jack grins happily. 

"How did it go?" He asks Cas. 

Cas sighs. "There were some complications, but we handled them." He waits for Dean to ask follow-up questions, but Dean just nods. 

"Look, Cas, I'm sorry. Sammy was right. You should get to take Jack out with your siblings without me interfering." Dean says. He gives him a quick kiss. "Come on, dinner is on the stove."

As they walk into the bunker, Dean hurriedly hands Jack to Sam. Dean sneezes. He sneezes again and rubs his eyes.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say there was a cat in here."

A roar sounds from deep in the bunker. Jack laughs and claps his hands. "NYOW! NYOW!" He screams.

"Is that a Tiger?" Sam asks.

"I got it." Balthazar sighs.

*************

Cas takes a deep breath and tries to remember a time when he didn't understand human society. It isn't his siblings' fault that they have spent most of their life isolated from Earth. Still, it can be really frustrating when they don't get it.

"Indra," Cas says with as much patience as he can muster, "I understand that Jack prayed to you, but you can't just show up at school. They have policies about visitors. It's a safety thing." 

Indra nods, but the confused look remains on their face. "So, you want me just to ignore it if my nephew prays to me?"

Cas had received a call from the school as he left to pick up Jack. "We appreciate that Jack has such an involved family, but we can't have people at the school without signing in. Ms. Janice said she didn't even see where your sibling came from. It was like they appeared out of thin air." Cas had promised to address the issue. 

"No, don't ignore the prayer necessarily. Just don't come to the school. Wait, can you send him a message back? By praying to him? Or through Angel Radio?" Cas asks. He honestly doesn't know if Jack is tied to either and it occurs to him that he probably should have asked before this point. 

Indra is quiet for a moment. Jack comes bounding into the room. "Indra, I heard you! I heard you in the playroom! I came like you asked."

The four year old is jumping around Indra. They smile back at Jack. "Great job, Jack. Now you can pray to me whenever you want and I will be able to answer you. So, even if I can't come see you, you will never be alone. Now, let me show you how to talk to all of us at once."

Cas smiles, imagining the stories Jack will tell the angels now that he can talk to them whenever he wants. Well, that's one problem solved.

What he doesn't realize then is the chaos that Jack's access to Angel Radio will bring.

*********

"Hello?" Cas answers the phone. He peers grumpily at the clock.  _ Who would call me at 8am on a Saturday. _ Everyone who knows Cas knows he is not a morning person.

"Castiel! Are you okay?" Cas recognizes Hannah's voice on the other end.

"Hmmm?" He asks in a groggy voice. "Sleeping."

"Jack said there is a princess and she turns everything to ice and she caused a great winter, but I cannot seem to find any trace of it. Heaven is in an uproar. We cannot have people changing the weather."

"It's a movie." He mumbles. "Jack is telling you the plot to a movie."

"Oh. Well, that's a relief." Hannah says.

"K bye." Cas says and hangs up, rolling over to snuggle into Dean. 

**********

"Castiel." Ezekiel pops into the bunker with no warning. "I came as soon as I could. Where are the monsters? I stand ready to fight them"

Castiel stares at Ezekiel blankly. "The . . . ."

"Jack sent out an alert on Angel Radio about monsters with terrible teeth and terrible claws and terrible eyes. He managed to trick them into trusting him but they just threatened to eat him up. Come, brother, we must go now."

Cas blinks and runs his hands through his hair. "Ezekiel, that's the plot of  _ Where the Wild Things Are _ . Jack is telling you a fictional story."

Now it is Ezekiel's turn to look at Cas blankly. He sighs. "Have a seat."

********

"You have to make it stop." Gabriel pleads. "I cannot do another round of Baby Shark. Please."

Behind them, Sam snorts in amusement. "Oh, is repetition of the same song driving you mad, Gabriel? That must be really frustrating." 

Gabriel points at Sam, "Don't you start with me."

Cas smirks. "You know, this is your own fault. You are the one who taught Jack to use Alexa to play that song when you babysat him last week."

"Yeah, but it was funny when he was irritating you with it. How was I supposed to know he would turn around and sing it on Angel Radio nonstop?" Gabriel's eyes narrow in suspicion. "Wait, why isn’t he still playing it nonstop on Alexa?"

Cas keeps his face blank and he shrugs. Last week Gabriel had decided it would be hilarious to get Jack to play the song on loop. Everyone except Eileen had been climbing the walls. She thought it was funny. Traitor. 

Gabriel looks at Sam who looks away guiltily. "Sam?" He asks, drawing out the name.

"Um, I may have unplugged Alexa." Sam admits. 

"And Jack didn't protest?" Gabriel asks suspiciously. 

"I may have told him Alexa ran out of batteries." Sam admits. 

Gabriel sighs. "I am getting Jack a drum set for Christmas if you don't make it stop."

Cas sighs. "I don't know how. He's four. Can't you just tune it out?"

"I would, but I promised to be available. They are still rebuilding portions of Heaven and I have expertise in building fake worlds." Gabriel admits.

Sam makes a sound that is a cross between irritation and exasperation.

"Maybe we can plug the thing back in but get Jack to listen to something else." Cas offers. 

Cas tries classic rock first, but Jack gets bored and asks for Baby Shark instead. Dean makes a face like he has just been stabbed. 

Sam tries a kids' radio station he finds online. Jack does like that marginally better, but the songs are largely annoying and they all groan when Baby Shark comes on.  _ So much for that. _

Cas glances at Dean. He knows he is not going to like Cas's next idea, but maybe it will work. Cas puts on a playlist he created for when he is gardening. Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears. All the greats. Jack is enamored immediately, shaking his tiny hips and waving his hands.

Cas dares a glance at Dean and what he finds is less glowering than he anticipated. Instead, Dean walks up behind him and wraps his arms around Cas's waist. "You know, this song reminds me of a guy I used to have the biggest crush on. 'Agent Beyonce.' Nerdy guy, but hot."

Cas smiles and leans into Dean. 

"Well, you two are being gross and Angel Radio is back to normal, so I guess that's my cue." Gabriel says. "See ya later, Jack."

Jack waves happily. "Bye Uncle Gabriel. I will talk to you soon."

************

Cas admits that nothing can really prepare you for a kid, and especially a nephilim with powers and the ability to bring down the wrath of a multitude of angels if you don't give him another cookie. Still, it's nice to have so many angels who care. 

Cas knows it's a lot. They are a lot. One night he apologizes to Dean. 

"Dean, I am sorry my siblings can be so intrusive." He expects Dean to say something about them being dicks. Instead, Dean looks him in the eye.

"Cas, I know how much it means to you. Are they sometimes annoying? Sure, but that's part of family. Besides, I know it hurt when you felt like you had to choose between them and us." Dean kisses him lightly. "Now, come on. I am going to try and get Jack to pray to Gabriel and sing the Gummy Bear song. Serves him right after getting Jack those drums."

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Full credit to frumious_bandersnatch for suggesting I work in Balthazar. That portion of this installment ended up being one of my favorites. 
> 
> The zoo trip, as it happens, was inspired my my kid who identified 100% of animals as puppahs, roars or meows when we went recently. 
> 
> A note on angel gender: I made the choice to have Hannah, in the male vessel, use he/him pronouns. I think the show most frequently has the angels take on the gender of their vessel. But, as I said in a previous fic, I think the angels don't really have the concept of gender and I think it makes the most sense that those angels who don't have a lot of time on Earth would use they/them pronouns. So Indra uses they/them pronouns.


End file.
